 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Im a very confident skier on piste and off but abit of a begginer in the park as these things werent around when I was learning. Anyway, Im determined to get riding these rails but having some difficulty.
Has anyone any advice on the correct body position etc?
Should my weight be even between both feet or weighted towards the front or back foot?
Should my whole body be rotated 90 degrees so facing across the slope, like on a snowboard?
When approaching the rail should I have one ski either side or start with both on one side and then swing them onto the rail?
Would you recommend having feet close together or shoulder distance apart?
Im writing this aching all over from hitting the deck more times last night than in the last 10 years of skiing combined so any advice would be appreciated
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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medlington, buttpad and cup . . . .
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Masque wrote: |
| medlington, buttpad and cup . . . . |
Haha, I can take the physical pain, its the not being able to do it that hurts the most, although I may well invest in some form of protection just incase
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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medlington,
Trying to explain this will be tough without visuals but I will try: First of rail or boxes? For Boxes you can just use the centred approach below and the same body position. With rails the difference is you have a smaller point of contact so you will have to be a lot more pro active with you balance while on it. Any questions or clarifications just ask.
For Rails – there are 2 schools of thought either approach has the same result
centred with the rail aligned to the between your skis, pop rotate and land, think 3 train tracks on approach and once you are at the lip of the rail pop and rotate. So on approach if you draw an imaginary line from the rail it will run parallel to your skis between your legs
More conventional is just of centre approach coming in from the side of the rail and rotate on the lip onto the rail.
Think bracquage so separate your upper body face it in the direction of travel, weight even on both feet/skis, try to keep the core solid and strong look out beyond the end of the feature to your landing
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks mate, its the rails I was focusing more on rather than the boxes although I have issues going sideways on those too.
I seemed to have more luck with the big plastic pipes rather than the boxes or the rails, I guess theres just a bigger surface area than the rails to balance on.
So I need to keep the upper body facing down the fall line but rotate the lower body 90 degrees, like most things in skiing really.
I think my biggest problem was that it was the first time I was trying it and I just seemed to be falling off or skis flying off without really taking in what was happening as it all happened so quickly, by the end of the night I was having some success and was able to notice that my front foot was rotating nicely but my back wasnt coming the full way round and was ending up doing a sort of sideways snowplough.
Im going to get a gopro for Xmas so will be able to analyze what Im doing wrong in super slow motion which should help quite abit. It certainly helped landing 180's when I borrowed my mates as I found out one of my skis was landing on the other binding and releasing it but I couldnt figure out why my ski was falling off in real time.
thanks again, any more advice from anyone?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take a cricket bat and have someone smack you violently about the back bottom and gonads with it.
This will pre-condition you for most of the impact damage you will sustain.
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I seemed to have more luck with the big plastic pipes rather than the boxes or the rails, I guess theres just a bigger surface area than the rails to balance on.
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I would work on the boxes before progressing to the rials, Popping on and off helps make it easier too.
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So I need to keep the upper body facing down the fall line but rotate the lower body 90 degrees, like most things in skiing really.
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Yep practice hopping to side slipping so skiing the fall line Pop 90 degrees and side slip on a piste = Rails and boxes practice without the pain 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Richard_Sideways, Definitions ski expert Mark has just boarded a plane to Canada for the season But when he is back well worth using. Or Salomon Grom Camps
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I'm no expert....but
Freestyle features are usually graded like pistes, stick to green/easy wide boxes to start. Appx 2m wide, that's what I started on. Treat it like braquage, weight on front ski, don't try to pivot skis 90deg straight away, go straight, do 45 then 60 etc.
I recommend armour & an intro course.
At Hemel on Thurs/Fri eves are good selection & usually helpful ppl on hand. Is that where you were last night?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
weight on front ski,
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This will lead to you landing flat on your rear end! Basically if the weight is uneven on the skis one will travel quicker than the other, and you will lose the feet from under you!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You no doubt have more experience than me....
I was just echoing what I was told by the Instructor on a Taster session, more often than not we (the group) ended up on our ar$es with our skis shooting away on the box due to weight on the back ski, presumably a novice would progress to equal weight on both skis  or adapting as required
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medlington, You weren't at MK last night were you?
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You know it makes sense.
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Start on boxes, it's exactly the same technique as rails, but easier.
When I am teaching beginners on boxes I emphasise - wide low stance, ski straight at the rail, pop (jump), rotate the whole body together, keep skis flat on the rail, come off switch by looking back up the hill.
Coming off switch may sound harder than coming off forwards, but actually it's easier as you get to continue rotating in one direction, rather than having to stop the rotation somehow. Coming from the side of the box works well for down rails, but for a beginner straight on is much simpler.
Biggest thing is keeping the skis flat, if you edge the skis will not grip and you will smash your hip hard.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Come in with more speed you think you need. Come from directly infront of the rail (beginner rails shouldn't need much, if any, pop to get onto them). Coming in from the side, lipsliding, is much more difficult, save that for later. Commit to getting your skis fully 90 degrees to the rail. For balance, wide stance, and imagine running and jumping onto a skateboard on the floor. Look at the end of the rail, not at your feet. As you get the the end of the rail, turn your shoulders towards the landing or back towards the takeoff if you're coming off switch, and your skis will follow as you come off the rail and land.
Approach with confidence, and picture sliding the rail and skiing away. Chances are, you'll do just that.
(Post videos)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks again for the tips
feef, Nope I was smashing myself to bits at Castleford last Thursday not MK, sounds like theres someone out there sharing my aches and pains though 
Defo will be considering a freestyle course and maybe abit of armour too.
Will post some vids when I get my camera so you can all see what Im doing wrong and have a good laugh at me too!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| medlington wrote: |
Thanks again for the tips
feef, Nope I was smashing myself to bits at Castleford last Thursday not MK, sounds like theres someone out there sharing my aches and pains though
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There were a few, myself included. Although I wasn't on the rails, I was trying to get more than 180 degrees of rotation off the kicker.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Haha, I just commented on your post on the other thread, Im stuck on exactly that too, 180s no problem but just cant do a 360
Always good to know theres people in the same boat
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